Effects of arterial pressure on drinking and urinary responses to intracerebroventricular angiotensin II.

These experiments examined the dipsogenic responses of rats to intracerebroventricularly administered angiotensin II (ANG II) under normotensive and hypotensive conditions. Intravenous infusion of the vasodilator drug minoxidil (25 micrograms.kg-1.min-1), combined with the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor captopril (0.33 mg/min), both reduced blood pressure and prevented endogenous ANG II formation. Central infusions with ANG II (4 or 16 ng/h) began 60 min later, and the intravenous and intracerebroventricular infusions ran concurrently for another 90 min. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), water intake, urine volume (UV) and electrolyte excretion were measured throughout. Water intakes to both doses of intracerebroventricular ANG II were increased, and UV and electrolyte excretion were reduced during hypotensive conditions compared with normotensive conditions. Thus the increased water intakes occurred despite increased fluid retention. It is concluded that arterial hypotension enhances the dipsogenic effects of centrally administered ANG II, possibly through baroreceptor-mediated mechanisms.